A Tree Called Life
by Quills and Inkwells
Summary: When Caroline kidnapped Katherine and brought her down to New Orleans, it had been solely with the intention of getting her and Elijah back together. Even enemies deserve a happy ending. But then Katherine's dying, the Mikaelsons are waging war, and it looks like she'll be in the city for much longer that she had planned. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing. AU post 1x07/5x07.
1. Chapter 1

Caroline sat in her dorm, watching her former roommate pack up the last bit of her things. She almost hated to kick the girl out, but Bonnie and Elena would be coming back to school tomorrow, and she seriously doubted that Elena would be okay with her thousand-greats grandmother doppelganger living with them. Scratch that, she _knew_ that Elena wouldn't be okay with it. It was Katherine, after all. A newly-human and utterly miserable Katherine. The aforementioned sat down on the bed and looked at Caroline.

"So that's it." Katherine said, crossing one booted ankle over another.

"Not quite." Caroline said. She smiled at the arched eyebrow she received in response, and jumped up. "Petrova, we're throwing you a two-person send-off party! Bonnie and Elena won't be here until tomorrow afternoon, so that leaves us plenty of time for hangover recovery. Besides, you weren't a _terrible_ roomie, and every roommate deserves a going-away party..." She rummaged around in the mini fridge and under her bed before bringing out a bottle of bourbon and a couple of cups, shaking them happily.

"Isn't that like…against University policy, or something?" Katherine asked, giving her a haughty look.

"Absolutely. But what can I say? I like my alcohol. Besides, when did you start caring about rules?" Caroline laughed.

"And Damon's liquor cabinet." She smirked, before shifting into a matter-of-fact tone. "I started caring about rules when I became human and they started applying… I hate my life."

"Damon's an ass, but he certainly knows how to pick his whiskey. Now come on, let's get drunk, bitch about how much our lives suck, and then pass out." Caroline said. Katherine shrugged, reached for a cup, and poured a few fingers of bourbon in.

"Works for me." Katherine tossed back the alcohol like it was water, and then sputtered. "Oh, what I wouldn't give for my vampire tolerance back…"

A couple of hours later the bottle was finished. Katherine was moping, Caroline was giggling, and both were absolutely drunk. Well, Katherine was. Caroline, with her vampire tolerance and healing, was merely tipsy. They had gone over pretty much every topic under the sun—parents, how much it sucked being a human, Caroline's breakup with Tyler, and where exactly Katherine bought her shoes—before they came to one that Caroline had never heard Katherine talk about before.

"I got dumped." Katherine blurted out, her inhibitions lowered exponentially.

Caroline's ears perked. "You got dumped? It was the first time, wasn't it? Who did it?" She loved juicy information, and the fact that _Katherine Pierce_ got dumped was almost enough to make the tabloids. Did vampires even have tabloid magazines? No, wait, of course they didn't. Duh.

"Second, actually. The first guy who dumped me was my boyfriend in Bulgaria when I was human. The first time, that is. He knocked me up and left. Asshole." Katherine pouted.

"Um, yeah… Douche. I hope he married a troll of a woman." The blonde giggled.

"No, he actually married my former best friend Evangelia. She was almost as pretty as me. But that's a moot point." Katherine commented, shrugging slightly, clearly not even caring anymore.

"Well then… Who was it this time? Have I heard of him? You can't just leave me hanging! Give me details, Petrova!" Caroline was practically jumping up and down on her bed.

"Calm your panties, Forbes. It was Elijah." She sniffled slightly into her cup. "We were together when everyone else was searching for the cure, but he dumped me when Klaus went to New Orleans. When my doppelganger was in bitch-mode she planted lies in his head, and they all piled up, and we never got a chance to work it out." Katherine moaned, and flopped backwards. "He's just… He's the only man I've ever _loved._ I fell for him back in 1492, and I don't think I ever stopped. Everyone else… They were all distractions, I see that now. But now my one chance at happiness left me because some witches are conspiring against Klaus. And I was the idiotic one who told him about it."

"Wait… You're the one who made Klaus go to New Orleans?" Caroline sat up straighter. That was certainly new information. For all she had known, Klaus had just gone on a little trip to the city and decided that he didn't want to come back. She wouldn't blame him; everyone in Mystic Falls did seem to want him and his family dead, after all.

"A witch by the name of Jane-Anne Deveraux was trying to make a move against him. I caught wind of it, and, like the good little nemesis that I am, sent him word. He didn't have to go check it out—much less set up house. That was all his choice." Katherine shot back, her words slurring as she drifted farther and farther into the alcohol abyss.

"Touché." Caroline sighed. Her lovely buzz was wearing off, thanks to her healing. And just when she had been able to enjoy it. "Katherine, what are you going to do? Because I mean… If you really love him, you can't just let him go." But when she looked over at the other bed, Katherine was passed out, a slight snore erupting from her nose, and her arms hanging off the bed.

The blonde looked over at the girl she was supposed to hate. It really just was not fair. Katherine was clearly still madly in love with Elijah, even after he left. And, if she was right, he had been crazily in love with her too. There was no reason for them not to be together! A wave of determination washed over Caroline. She had given Tyler an ultimatum because she wasn't being loved the way that she deserved to be loved. Or…at least the way that she felt she needed to be loved. The whole actually deserving-it part was a whole other thing. But still. If Katherine could get her love story, then she was going to damn well make sure that it happened. Because, if anyone deserved a happy ending, the girl on the other bed did. Caroline had learned a bit about Katherine's past from Elena and Katherine herself, and to put it lightly, it sucked.

It was time to give her…frenemy a happy ending.

-0-0-0-0-0-

When Katherine woke up, everything was sunny. And hot. And her head felt like it had just been pummeled with a jackhammer. Her first coherent thought was that Silas had finally gotten her, and was whisking her away to kill her. Then she remembered that Silas was dead—a slightly important detail that her hungover brain missed—and in the driver's seat was a perky blonde that was wearing way too much yellow. Honestly, the girl was like a walking Day-Glo stick. It hurt to even look at her.

"Where the hell am I? Because this doesn't look like Mystic Falls, cupcake." Katherine slowly shifted her body up and away from where she had been leaning against the door.

"That's because it's not." Caroline smiled. "We're somewhere in between Atlanta and Montgomery, Alabama."

"What exactly are we doing in the middle of nowhere, again? I seem to have missed the memo." Katherine's voice took on a deadly tone.

"We're en route to New Orleans. We should be there in oh…about four and a half hours. You were _completely_ out of it this morning, so I just loaded you and our suitcases in the car. I figured you wouldn't mind. I mean, we are going to go get you your man back." Caroline flashed her trademark grin to her companion—the one with subtle undertones of bitchy—before turning her eyes back to the road.

"I'm going to die." Katherine moaned, her head flopping back against the head rest.

"Not if-" Caroline was interrupted.

"No Forbes, I'm actually dying, okay?" Katherine shouted. At Caroline's bewildered look, she continued. "After Silas sucked the cure out of me, I started…aging."

"Like… _Menopause_?" Caroline looked disgusted. "God, I'm so sorry."

"More like Nature wants me to get to the state that I am supposed to be had I died five hundred something years ago. So like, daisy fertilizer. It kind of sucks, you know? I mean, I spend five hundred years running from your psychopathic boyfriend,"

"Klaus is _not_ my boyfriend!" Caroline protested, but Katherine plowed straight on.

"only to get killed because a crazy immortal witch finally got fed up with his pathetic existence, and wanted to die. Said crazy immortal's ex fiancé refused to help me, and I've already talked to Dr. Maxfield. There's nothing to be done, at least from the human standpoint. I'm completely healthy. Just...dying."

"Well, I won't take that for an answer." Caroline said. "You haven't given up so far, and I won't let you give up now. Therefore, I am modifying the intentions of this trip by like…a lot. And I have an idea that might keep you alive long enough to see those intentions through."

"Please, enlighten me. And then we need to stop so that I can pee. And eat. I'm living on the human diet, here."

Caroline laughed. "We're going to need to stop anyways. There is no way I am letting you wear _that_," she gestured to Katherine's hot pink yoga pants and black tank top with 'Princess' written across her chest in sparkles "when we get to New Orleans. Now, here's the plan."

* * *

**AN: Alright guys, here's my newest TVD story! I've got big plans for this piece, so just sit tight! I've already got a few chapters written, and I'm planning on updating once a week. Also, I'm the market for a beta reader for this story... If you're interested, PM me and we can discuss it!**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**-Abi**


	2. Chapter 2

Previously on ATCL: _"Now here's the plan."_

* * *

After five bathroom breaks ("It is not my fault that I have to pee every half hour like an old lady!"), two stops for snacks ("I went five hundred and twenty years on a diet of blood and chocolate. Food tastes really good now."), one stop for gas and a quick change ("Petrova, go change your damn clothes. I know the yoga pants are comfortable and heels give you blisters but there is no way I am showing up at the Mikaelsons' with you dressed like that! Suck it up and put a band-aid on it!"), a quick visit to a walk-in doctor's clinic ("Are you sure this will work, Forbes? Because if not, I'm going to be dead before the end of the evening."), and five and a half hours, Caroline was about ready to cry with relief when she saw the 'Welcome to New Orleans!' sign.

Matt had the address of the Mikaelson estate—it seemed Rebekah had been fond of mailing postcards to her brothers over the summer—and he was helpful enough to text it to Caroline with only minimal questions. All calls from Elena and Bonnie had been ignored so far. They could be dealt with later. Yes, she felt bad about leaving them behind when she had been the biggest proponent for their college experience, but her mind was set, and as is, Katherine didn't have much time left anyways. She literally had forever with Bonnie and Elena.

Caroline could tell from the way that Katherine's fingers were drumming on her thigh that she was scared to death. Literally. If one move in their plan went wrong, Katherine would end up with her neck snapped, and that was the last thing that needed to happen. Especially since she still had her heart set on getting Elijah and Katherine back together. She was Caroline Forbes. When someone told her that she couldn't do something, she proved them wrong. This was one of those circumstances.

They had a solid plan in place. At least, Caroline was sure that they did. It would work. It _had_ to work. And since they were ten minutes away from their destination, there was no going back now.

"Katherine, are you-"

"Save it, Caroline. Let's just get this over with so that I can stop hyperventilating."

"Will do." She agreed, taking a deep breath and focusing on the road once more. Oh, this better work out.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Caroline parked, and looked up at the grand manor. It was gorgeous. One thing that she could always count upon Klaus and his family for was to live in style. Taking a deep breath, she turned to Katherine. "Ready for this?"

"Yeah, that's not going to happen. Let's go." Katherine slid out of the car, the only sign of her nervousness her frantic heartbeat and shaking hands.

The two women trudged up the steps of the manor, Katherine's heels clacking against the ancient porch. Caroline rang the doorbell, and waited. Nothing. She rang again, and no one came.

"Maybe Matt gave me the wrong address…" She whispered as she rang it a third time. This time, however, the door was wrenched open by an irate blonde in a bathrobe.

"What on earth could possibly be so important as to drag me from the works of Blake, a bottle of wine, and a bubble bath?" When Rebekah got a proper look at who was standing on her doorstep, she shouted "What the bloody hell are you two doing here?!"

"It's lovely to see you again, Rebekah. Yes, we're doing quite well, thank you for asking. I wasn't aware that you read romantic poetry." Katherine sniped.

"Elena?" The berobed blonde asked.

"Actually, I'm the much prettier one. Besides, do you really think that my doppelganger would be familiar with the works of William Blake?" She shot back. Caroline stood and watched all this from the sidelines. It was very amusing to watch Katherine and Rebekah go at it.

"Touché. The English department at that bloody high school was terrible. It certainly did not advocate the enlightening world of romantic poetry more than it was required to."

"A shame, certainly. One can acquire much knowledge from the reading of poetry." Katherine sighed, shaking her head.

"Okay, can you two old ladies stop speaking like so…ancient, and move this party inside? You're more than welcome to continue your enlightening discussion once we get in, but I've been driving for fourteen hours and I want to take a break." Caroline spoke up. No matter that she had been stuck in a car almost continuously all day; driving was exhausting and she needed to sit down and relax.

"Fine. I'll probably get daggered for this, but at this point I don't really give a shit. The parlor is the first room on the left. Just go hang out in there while I get dressed. Nik and Elijah are out, but they should be home any minute, so just… Don't kill each other. Or burn down the house. Or whatever else you're planning in that dastardly little head of yours, Katherine." Rebekah waved them in the vague direction of the room before going back to the staircase.

"Well," Caroline said "I guess now we wait."

"Have I ever mentioned that I hate waiting?" Katherine sighed.

"Patience is a virtue, Petrova."

"And I've never advertised myself as virtuous, now have I, Forbes?"

-0-0-0-0-0-

It turned out that Rebekah's definition of 'in a minute' was really more like an hour, and when her brothers arrived home they were greeted by the noise of raised female voices from the parlor, where a battle was ensuing.

Caroline was sitting on the sofa, a glass of wine in one hand and a book in another. Every few seconds she would look up at the other two, and laugh, rolling her eyes. Katherine and Rebekah were in the middle of the room, gesturing wildly at each other as they argued. The other two glasses were sitting on the coffee table all quite full, as if their owners had abandoned them mid-sip.

"How dare you appreciate Wordsworth over Blake? How dare you? This is a travesty!" Rebekah yelled.

"How on earth do you not understand the beauty of the words of Wordsworth? How are you so blind to the loveliness of his work?" Katherine shot back.

Caroline saw the movement at the door from the corner of her eye, and she turned her head towards Klaus and Elijah. Nodding at them, she focused her attention on the feuding women, smiling sarcastically. "Katherine, Rebekah, SHUT IT! The men are back." The aforementioned ladies were snapped out of their verbal brawl, and Katherine moved to stand beside Caroline, her eyes never leaving Elijah.

"I applaud you, love. Anyone who can make those two hellcats shut up certainly deserves an award." Klaus clapped his hands as he sauntered into the room, his eyes fixed upon Caroline. "I must say, as delightful as this is, I would like to know what is going on here."

"Those two," She gestured at Katherine and Rebekah as she stood up "were just having a lovely discussion on English romantic poets. However, if you would like to know exactly what we're doing in New Orleans, that is a more…complicated matter."

"Sweetheart, it would be my absolute pleasure to listen to your enlightening explanation as to why my _least_ favorite doppelganger is currently standing in my parlor." Klaus's gaze left the blonde and strayed to the brunette beside her, before flicking back a second later.

"Alright. You see, there's been a lot going on in Mystic Falls since graduation and—" Caroline started.

"You might as well stop dancing around it." Katherine sighed. "I'm dying." She stepped from slightly behind Caroline, and faced the Mikaelson siblings. Four pairs of eyes were on her as she took a deep breath before speaking again, as if she was steeling herself for war. "I'm human, and I'm dying."

* * *

**AN: ****Ohmygosh you guys are amazing. Like seriously. The response that you readers have given me... *fans self* I can't even express my delight. **

******Oh, and Happy Klaroline Wednesday! As you can guess, this story is going to be updated on Wednesdays from now on, because I mean, it's Klaroline Wednesday! What better day to update than a day that celebrates our favorite couple? Haha.**

******I'd like to say thank you to Cindy (klaroline-fantasies) for my beautiful cover art! She's just updated a really fun story called Senior Year, and she's joint-writing a story called Humanitate Eius Apicem that I just absolutely love to the end of the earth. So yeah. Go check them out!**

******Seriously though, thank you for all of the support you have given me. It truly spurred me on to write more chapters. I have quite the arc planned for this story, so stick with me, and we'll have a ton of fun together!**

******-Abi 3**

******P.S. Any questions/comments/criticisms you have about the story, please either leave in a review or PM me. I will be happy to discuss things out with you guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

Previously on ATCL:_ "I'm human, and I'm dying."_

* * *

The three Mikaelsons had very different reactions to Katherine's bombshell. Elijah was frozen, his mouth slightly open and his eyes fixed upon Katherine. Rebekah was ranting and raving to the world about how "the biggest bitch on the bloody planet got that damned cure and it just wasn't fair".

"Silence, Rebekah!" Klaus ordered, before sitting in an armchair, one foot resting on his knee as he lounged. Elijah stood to his right while Rebekah pouted over to the sofa. "Please, continue."

"It was the night of graduation. My doppel—" Caroline cleared her throat, and Katherine shot her a look before continuing. "Excuse me. _Elena_ and I got into an altercation. It ended with her catching me by surprise and shoving the cure down my throat. After I spent a summer figuring out what the hell I was supposed to do, I came back to Mystic Falls only to find that Silas wanted me."

"I thought you all took care of Silas." Klaus directed at Caroline, who was leaning against the couch arm.

"We thought we did. It turned out that when Bonnie died to bring Jeremy back to life, her spell keeping Silas down broke." Caroline shook her head slightly.

"Your friend is dead?" Klaus asked, looking at the blonde as if he was worried that she would melt into a puddle of tears.

"Not anymore. Damon made a deal with Silas to get her back. But that comes a bit later in the story. Hurry up! You aren't even at the good part yet!" Caroline gestured for Katherine to continue, and she did.

"Right. Anyways, it turned out that I was the walking, talking, cure once I was fed it. Lovely, no? Silas needed to drain me of blood so that he could become a witch again, destroy the Other Side, and die. After his absolute nut job of an ex-fiancée came back and started frying minds,"

"Stefan's to be exact. He's Silas's doppelganger!" Caroline chirped in, enjoying the baffled expressions on the faces of the other room occupants at that little tidbit.

"I was kidnapped, dealt with the flu, and fed to Silas. Talk about _fun. _Anyways…" Katherine paused, her eyes meeting Elijah's briefly before glancing away. She couldn't let herself get emotionally involved again. Not now, when she had only a few months left. "Shortly after Silas sucked the cure out of me, I started showing signs of _aging_. You know, grey hair, joint pain, that type of thing. I moved in with Forbes, here, at college," She waved in Caroline's general direction. "to cover up the fact that she and Elena are vampires. There, I talked to a doctor. The cure wants to return me to my natural state. And yes, I already tried vampire blood. I can't keep it down."

"Basically, in a few months, she's going to be a pile of dust. Now, she doesn't want that to happen, and quite frankly, since Katherine wasn't _that_ bad of a roommate, I wouldn't mind her staying alive either." Caroline pushed off the arm of the couch and walked forward.

"Awww, glad to see you care, Forbes." Katherine mocked.

"You didn't try and steal my clothes, Petrova, so that automatically puts you in my good books. Don't read too much into it." Caroline shot back, nudging the other girl slightly with her hip. Their dynamic was of much amusement to everyone in the room as last time the Mikaelsons had been in Mystic Falls, these two hated each other. "Either way, we would like to make a deal."

"I would _love_ to hear about it, Caroline." Klaus said. He had never seen Caroline so…brave, before. While she had an open invitation to New Orleans, she was well aware that Katherine most certainly did not, and it took guts coming here with the girl that turned her, just to help her. She truly had a compassionate heart that could see past anything. Now if only she could give him that chance.

"New Orleans is the place for witches, correct? And some are very, very, powerful?" She affirmed, already knowing the answer.

"Correct. Yet, couldn't the Bennett witch do the necessary spell?" He asked.

"Bonnie is the anchor between the Other Side and this one. She doesn't have magic anymore. That's why we're here." Caroline finished. Klaus nodded in understanding, even if he was really confused.

"The terms for the deal are as such: I am willing to give you one blood bag a week to make hybrids in exchange for the use of a witch to save my life." Katherine stood in a protective stance: her back straight, chin raised, and hands on her hips. And yet, her walls were down. Over the course of her years, being open with her emotions was something that she had not allowed. But being with Elijah had changed her, and now…she was undone in his presence. This situation was not safe for her heart, and yet Katherine went along with it anyways, for it was to save her life. Better to be heartbroken and alive than heartbroken and dead. "And for the remainder of my life, whether it be for a few months or for decades, I will have my freedom. That means no more chasing me, no more death threats, nothing. You have spent five hundred and twenty years holding a grudge because I chose to run instead of walk calmly to your altar. I think it's time we end this."  
"You're very brave, little Katerina, to ask for something as beneficial to yourself as this." Klaus's mouth twisted up into his trademark smirk as his hands folded in his lap. "And very foolish. I could kill you right here and now, and not blink."

"The name is Katherine, as you are more than aware." She said, her hands shaking. "I may be human once more, but the little Katerina Petrova that you speak of died on the 6th of April, 1492 so please, do not patronize me with your subtle barbs. I do not appreciate the condescension. Now, do you agree to the terms or not? Because if you refuse, it's a fourteen hour trip back to Mystic Falls and Caroline has roommates waiting on her at Whitmore. If you don't accept, then I can go back to my previous plan of death by consumption of alcohol instead of slowly falling apart."

In that moment, Katherine Pierce looked strong. She had always been intimidating and fierce. Everyone knew that. But now, for the first time in five hundred and twenty years, Katherine had faced her demon. She stared the one who had sentenced her to a life of misery, to the one who had killed her entire family, to the one who had chased her relentlessly her for her entire vampiric life in the eye, and she gave him an ultimatum. Oh yes, she was afraid. She was _very_ afraid. One would be stupid not to be afraid of Klaus. But she owed it to herself and her sanity to fight for her freedom, and so she did in the only way that she could; with her words. Her tongue was her weapon, and Katherine was a woman desperate enough to use every tool at her disposal.

"Damn it, Katherine, I told you that I am not going to let you give up that easily!" Caroline stood up, angling herself away from the Mikaelsons, her hands on her hips. She was infuriated. This girl—who had basically been the root of everything that had gone on in Mystic Falls since 1864 when she turned the Salvatores—was not going to be able to die that easily. She wasn't going to let her, because no one should spend five hundred years running only for it to end like this. "You've been a survivor for five hundred something years, and I'm not going to let a death sentence from psycho Dr. Maxfield send you on a suicide mission! I didn't get you drunk and kidnap you down here for nothing, okay? We are going to save your life."

"Why? Please explain to me why exactly you want me to survive so much! Your friends hate me. Hell, you yourself should hate me, or do you not remember when I smothered you with a pillow? Why do you want me to live?" Katherine threw her hands up in the air, pacing a bit.

Klaus, Elijah, and Rebekah watched the two women with slightly bemused looks on their faces. Rebekah was just enjoying the entertainment. This was something that called for a bag of popcorn. It wasn't many days that you got to see Caroline Forbes try to convince a human Katherine Pierce to try and live.

Klaus simply enjoyed the idea that _Caroline _was in his house. In New Orleans. To be frank, when he had extended the invitation to New Orleans, he had hoped that she would have come—not with the intention to save the constant thorn in his backside's life—but because she wanted to be his Queen. At the same time, however, the fact that she was here and did not intend to leave was most certainly something to be savored.

Elijah's thoughts were all jumbled up. Katerina was dying. And she was human. Now that certainly was a surprise. Yet as she went toe-to-toe with Miss Forbes, he could not help but consider her as beautiful as ever. She had the grace and poise of whom she had been when they first met, yet she held a deadly air that came from her life experiences. Oh, one of his biggest regrets was leaving her. She had been right when she had said that it was their turn. But yet, at the same time, it had not been. The opportunity to bring his family together was too great to pass up. And he would always regret that she had to be left behind.

"Why do I want you to live?" Caroline repeated. "You have an opportunity here that none of us get! You can live a long and normal life, untouched by all of this supernatural madness. You can have kids again. I mean sure, I love being a vampire. I wouldn't have taken the cure if it had been offered to me. But there are some things that you can never have as a vampire, and you have the opportunity for them now." She finished with a sad and slightly exasperated look on her face.

"Did you ever think that maybe there was a reason that I didn't want the cure, Caroline?" Katherine asked, crossing her arms. "I don't want to be human. Having children? I had a child in 1491, and my overly-judgmental father ripped her from my mother's arms the second she was born. The last thing that I want is a baby, because every time one cries I am taken back to my childhood bedroom where I screamed for hours to just be able to raise her; to even hold her. But, you know, that wasn't traumatizing whatsoever." She breathed in, closing her eyes for a moment before letting it out. "Look, Caroline. You are a member of one of the strongest races of beings. You have the gift of a daylight ring. Your friends are immortal. Just go enjoy your existence, like I never had the opportunity to until it was too late." Katherine sighed, resting her hands on her temples. "The only reason I was even willing to go along with your ridiculous plan to save my life is because it isn't fucking _fair_ that all those years of running are culminating in this."

"Katherine…" Caroline sighed.

"I'll be in the car, Forbes. I'm sorry that you drove all this way for nothing. Klaus won't agree to this anyways—not even for an army—simply because he will have the distinct pleasure of knowing that I'll be dying a slow, humiliating, torturous death in the end." She tossed her hair as she turned to Klaus. "And that's what you promised me back in Mystic Falls, wasn't it? A death that was worth every one of those years that I spent running? Well, congratulations. The little girl who ran has finally met her match. You can't run from time, now can you, Lord Niklaus?" With that, Katherine Pierce swept out of the parlor of the Mikaelson manor, the sound of the front door closing behind her an echo in the ears of the occupants of the room.

Elijah Mikaelson turned on his heel and followed after her.

* * *

**AN: So this is the longest chapter thus far, and it was also the first time I wrote a chapter that was all in one scene. Then again, there was quite a bit of material to digest in here, so yeah. ****Bit of a cliffhanger, no? I have a tendency to end all of my chapters that way; it simply is more fun.**

**In upcoming news, next chapter will include the long-awaited Kalijah scene! Katherine has quite a bit to say to the man, and they'll start on a road of working out their issues. After much debate and rewriting, I can confirm that Hayley will be make her appearance in Chapter 5, and it certainly is a scene to wait for.**

**Next week's update might be on Thursday instead of Wednesday, because I'm not sure if I'll be able to update on Christmas. If I do get to do so, it will be late that evening. Just giving you all a head's up!**

**Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**-Abi**


	4. Chapter 4

Previously on ATCL: _'Elijah Mikaelson turned on his heel and followed after her.'_

* * *

Katherine was leaning up against Caroline's car, enjoying the silence of the night and wallowing in her misery. Of course Caroline had locked it, and of course the keys were sitting in Caroline's purse… Inside the house. That very same house that she had just stormed out of because there was no way that Klaus was actually going to: a) grant her freedom, or b) do anything whatsoever to keep her alive. Hell, making sure your enemies were dead was probably the first rule in the villain's handbook. Either way, she was going to die, and quite soon it seemed.

Of course, her silence was disturbed by the slamming of the front door, and an all-too familiar step.

"Katerina?" That damned man had to just come after her. Lovely.

"Damn it Elijah, the name's Katherine!" She shot back. He had to pull the passive-aggressive name calling again. Oh, this was bound to be fun.

"I happen to find your Christian name much prettier, _Katerina_. And I know that you like it when I call you that." Elijah said. He approached the vehicle swiftly; the gravel crunching underneath his feet too loud for this still evening. The only light they had came from the porch and the light of the moon, and it was very quiet. Too quiet for a conversation such as the one that Katherine knew was to come.

"Mmm, the appeal wore off."

"Katerina, why did you not tell me what had happened? I could have helped you… You wouldn't have been alone." And he abandoned his usual dancing-around-topics thing and went straight to the point. Shit. She wouldn't be able to flirt her way out of this one.

"Well, maybe it had to do with the fact that… Oh, I don't know… You dumped me. Actually, does 'Katerina, goodbye' even count as a breakup? Because to me it sounded more like 'We had a thing but I've got bigger and better things to do than you, so tootles'." Katherine pushed off of the car and crossed her arms, fixing him with a glare.

Elijah closed his eyes and let out a breath. He ran a hand through his hair, messing up his normally perfectly-coiffed look. She had always liked his hair all messy like that… Nope, nope. Bad thoughts. Nothing could happen between them. It was useless.

"It was not like that, I promise. My family needed me. We are trying to win back our home from someone that we had once called family, and there are witches involved and I had to be here." He justified.

"I had prepared the chateau in the south of France for us, did you know that?" Katherine laughed bitterly. Her face was heartbroken and yet irate at the same time. "I received a call saying that the renovations were done not more than an hour before you left. It was really a lovely house; I used design elements from the townhouse in London combined with ones from the New York apartment and did a classic-nouveau theme with the place. I've never actually been to see it, but from the pictures it really turned out beautifully."

"Katerina, I never—" Elijah started, but was interrupted. It was killing him, having this conversation with her. This woman—this infuriating, passionate, fantastic, woman—had been so utterly in love with him (and he with her) but he had destroyed it. They could have been happy; they would have been happy, like they had been for those few blissful months before reality showed up. And he listened to the wrong person. Damn. He was an idiot.

"Of course you never knew. It was thoughtless of me to say that. You could never have known. It was meant to be an 'It took us five hundred years to get to this point but now we can be happy' surprise." Katherine shrugged. "But now neither of us get to spend our days in the little chateau overlooking the vineyard." She shook her head, facing away from him. "How could you listen to her?" She whispered.

"To?"

"To Elena, of course. I mean, she was emotionless. She hates me. Of course she's going to voice every single bad thought that she's ever had towards me. You should have known that half of what she was spouting was false. When she learned about us she was going to say anything possible to turn your head against me, and sadly, she succeeded. I'm just disappointed that you believed your acquaintance over your…partner."

"When Elena and I chatted, I had no intention of leaving you, truly. I had fully planned to come back to you. But then I came to check out the situation down here, and it is dire, Katerina. My family is facing war from two fronts; a war that we have not the allies for at this time. Marcel—the vampire that has dubbed himself 'King of New Orleans'—has a strict ban on all magic in the city, and we are on unstable ground. The witches are blackmailing us, and if we do not coincide with what they want, they will destroy the one chance at happiness that my family has left. I am doing my best to ally with a young witch that is currently in a situation which happens to be eerily similar to yours in 1492—she needs to die to complete a ritual—but even then that alliance is rocky." Elijah said.

"Wait, what? Is she a doppelganger as well?" Katherine was stunned. Blood sacrifices that resulted in death were not all that common within the witch community; especially not in the 'Light Magic' faction. Doppelganger blood was special—that is why Tatia Petrova had been used in the ritual to make the Mikaelsons into vampires, as well as to place the Hybrid Curse onto Klaus. But doppelgangers were rare, and that another girl was wanted for a ritual made Katherine sick to her stomach.

"Not that I am aware of. The ritual was to be done in order to gain more power within her coven to combat the vampires. The girls had been told that they would be put into a hibernation-like state, not that they would have their throats slit. Out of the four, Davina was the only one that made it out, and in the process she received the magic of the three dead girls." Elijah stated grimly.

Katherine's hand was covering her mouth, the sharp prickle of tears stinging the back of her eyes, but she refused to let them leak out. "What are you doing to help her?" She gasped, truly horrified for the first time in a long while.

"Davina has been learning from my Mother's grimoire in exchange for her cooperation on turning a blind eye to a few bits of magic performed here and there. I believe that she must have come into her magic just before the ritual was performed because she is…untamed. She has had no practical training whatsoever, yet she is extremely powerful. Possibly even more powerful than Miss Bennett. She is currently living above an old church under the protection of Marcel, and I visit when I can. Other than Marcel and maybe the priest who tends to the church, I believe that she is completely alone in the world." Elijah sighed.

"Completely alone? That's no way for a young girl to live." Katherine said, smiling half-heartedly. They both knew that she was speaking from her own experience. She had been young when she was left completely alone in the world, and she knew that it had not been good for her. Teenage girls should get to grow up like Caroline, or Bonnie, or her doppelganger. In her opinion, they should be surrounded by friends and family, living happy and _somewhat _shallow lives. They shouldn't have to worry about magic, or vampires, or crazy sociopaths that want to sacrifice them on their altar of blood. It was a shame that another girl had to go through something similar to her. It wasn't fair.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"What the bloody hell just happened?" Rebekah sputtered.

Needless to say, the remaining ones in the living room were a bit surprised at Katherine's outburst and Elijah's subsequent departure. Rebekah was more shocked than anything else. She wasn't a fan of Katherine—much less her brother's apparent obsession with the Petrova bloodline—and the girl had _terrible_ taste in poetry, in her opinion. Caroline was torn between worrying if their plan would work, or cheering at the fact that Elijah actually followed Katherine out. There was hope for them yet.

Klaus was internally sputtering. He had just gotten yelled at by _Katerina_. This should call for her death. And yet… The prospect of hybrids was very delectable. Thankfully he and Elijah had worked out their issues concerning his child that evening, or they could have had Katerina under Elijah's protection as well, which would just knock everything out of place. It had taken a bit of yelling, a good bottle of whiskey, and a few punches to sort everything out, but Elijah had apologized for his uncalled-for allegation, and he had assured his brother that his child was to be kept safe and loved. He would not dare to be the father that Mikael had been to him, and he had made it clear that no child of his would ever be used or treated like he had been. And that had been the end of that.

"I believe that that was Katherine finally letting out all of her feelings for the first time in like…ever. And four for her, because she actually told off your brother, which was about five hundred or so years overdue." Caroline addressed Rebekah.

"How on earth did you get caught up in this whole mess anyways? You and the grand bitch weren't exactly best friends back in Mystic Falls." The other blonde retorted. She was genuinely curious about this whole pseudo-friendship going on.

"As you know, it was my idea to bring her down here in the first place. She's had a sucky life, and she's human now. Besides… No one deserves to decay like she's basically been doomed to do so. I wouldn't wish that on _anyone_. Bonnie doesn't have her magic anymore, and the only other person that was capable of doing anything to reverse the effects of the cure was Quetsiyah and she's dead. New Orleans is supposed to be the magic hub of the States. And here we are!" Caroline shrugged, making sarcastic little jazz hands. She wasn't going to clue Klaus and Rebekah into her plans for Katherine and Elijah just yet; knowing this psychopathic family that would probably be a bad idea. Besides, playing matchmaker was so much more fun when no one knew what you were up too!

Rebekah just raised her eyebrows in response, and settled back further into the couch. Caroline looked back and forth between the siblings. Rebekah wasn't a friend of hers, that was for sure. But Klaus… She didn't know where they stood. They had been sort-of-friends right before he left town, but then he did the whole 'I will be your last' thing and then gave her back Tyler (because that lasted _sooo_ long), and everything was just confusing around him. He was infuriating and dark, but yet had such a twisted version of humanity to him that it boggled her mind. Klaus confused her, and Caroline didn't know what to think of him. He was a puzzle, and one that she was afraid to solve, for if she did, she might be so attached to the full picture that the consequences would change her life. And that was something that Caroline was not sure that she was ready for.

Suddenly, Klaus rose to his feet. "Well love, I suppose we must go grab your things and find you a room." He held out a hand to a very confused Caroline, a smirk present on his lips.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" A half-smile appeared on her face as her eyes were clouded in skepticism.

"If you think that I'm saying that I accept yours and Katerina's deal, then yes, I do. However, we can discuss when exactly the arrangements will be carried out tomorrow, and there are a few complications that we will have to work around. For now, I assume that you must be very tired from the drive, and we have an expanse of guest rooms for you to choose to retire in." Klaus said with a perfectly straight face, one eyebrow cocked in anticipation of her reaction.

Caroline broke out into a dazzling grin. While he may solely be in this for the hybrids, he accepted, and Katherine was free, and she was in NEW ORLEANS! This may be a 'business trip', but she was going to have some fun while here. Besides, Klaus had surprised her. After Katherine's last words, she had truly feared that he would not accept. But he did, and everything was going to be better. Caroline took Klaus's hand as she rose, before she slipped it into the crook of his elbow. "Let's go get my things before you give me the grand tour!" She smiled. They walked to the door in silence, but as Klaus was about to walk her out, Caroline stopped. "You, stay on the porch. I want to tell her myself, and besides, she's still more than a bit freaked out by your presence so yeah… I'll be back in a minute!" She laughed before darting out the door, flashing a smile at the hybrid leaning against the doorway.

* * *

When Caroline walked outside, the first thing she noticed was that Elijah and Katherine were leaning against the hood of her car, talking about something insignificant. And when she unlocked the car and opened the driver's side door, she heard Katherine sigh and ask when they were leaving, but Caroline just ignored her and moved to the trunk that she had just opened. Her senses picked up on the dual footsteps of Katherine and Elijah walking around the car to the back, but she just continued rummaging through the stuff in the back of her car.

"Look Forbes, you may be blonde, but you're not deaf. Are we leaving?" Katherine asked, hands on her hips.

"Quite the opposite, Petrova." Caroline said as she tossed Katherine's makeup bag at her. "Now grab some bags, because between the two of us we've filled up the back of my car, and if you want to be able to unpack tonight, you might want to get a move on." She continued with unloading suitcases and handing the occasional bag to Katherine which was promptly taken from her by Elijah.

"Excuse me? If this is a joke, please remember that while I may not be stronger than you physically, I have a hell of a lot more fighting experience and I would not hesitate to break your limbs." Katherine backed away slightly. There was no way that this was actually happening. It just was not possible. Caroline hated her, Klaus was going to kill her, and Elijah wasn't sorry for leaving her. This was all a farce, she had been a fool for trusting Caroline, and she wasn't free. That was what must be happening. Because… Because the possibility of her freedom, her _life_, actually becoming her own was just too much of an improbability, and she if she dared to hope that it might be so, she would break.

"Katherine. Klaus agreed. You're free." Caroline smiled.

Katherine let out a loud squeak as she clapped her hand over her mouth. She was free. For the first time in five hundred and twenty years, she. Was. Free. She wouldn't cry. She couldn't cry. Crying would show emotion and… Screw that. The tears were already cascading down her face. Dropping what little bags she had in her hands, Katherine darted into the front seat of Caroline's car, and closed the door. Once the door was closed, she broke down into sobs.

There are two kinds of sobs. There was the kind that shredded your insides, tearing you into little tiny pieces before stitching you crudely back together and then ripping into you again; the ones that simply just made you hurt worse at the end of the cry. Then, there were the therapeutic sobs. They were the sobs of healing; where your broken heart was knitted into something secure and lovely. They were the sobs that cleansed your soul and set you alight with joy. It was the latter that Katherine experienced that night in New Orleans. She couldn't let herself break in front of others and so she did so in the privacy of the car, where none was present but the ghosts of her past. That good cry took a tiny bit of Katherine's darkened soul, healed it, and set her on a course that would make her feel whole once more.

Steeling herself once more and drying her eyes, Katherine slid out of the driver's seat. Walking to the back of the car, she bent down, picked up her bags, and fixed Elijah and Caroline with her signature bitchy look. "Well, aren't we going to head inside? Like you said, Forbes, we have unpacking to do!" Flashing a genuine smile at Elijah, she turned towards the manor and marched up the drive.

"She'll never change, will she?" Caroline asked Elijah, a small smile still present.

"On the contrary, Miss Forbes, I do believe she already has." He said, giving her a look before picking up some more bags and following in Katherine's footsteps.

* * *

**AN: So... What do you think? Was is good? Okay? Absolutely terrible? Oh, who am I kidding. I know this chapter's good. I wrote it for you lovely readers, after all!**

**In response to a few questions that I've gotten... **

**Yes, Hayley does have to appear next chapter. Since I'm diverging from canon-and since she didn't drop dead at the end of TO 1x07 (sadly)-she does have to appear. No worries though; she's not going to cause any major issues, and since the ideas of Klayley/Haylijah make me want to puke, those ships won't be happening. Ever. **

**I have not made a finalized decision on the topic of Nadia or any of the group from Mystic Falls appearing in ATCL. If anyone does at all, it would be Tyler since canonically he is in New Orleans at this point. I'm also toying with a few storylines for Bonnie, but we'll have to see how those play out. **

**I would also like to shoutout roseberry girl for being the 50th reviewer! The response that you amazing readers have given my little story is astounding, and I love you all! *gives everyone cookies and glitter***

**Merry Christmas, dears!**

**-Abi**


	5. Chapter 5

Previously on ATCL: _"On the contrary, Miss Forbes, I do believe she already has."_

* * *

The next morning, Caroline woke up optimistic. Klaus had agreed to the deal, Katherine's life was one step closer to being saved, and she had just had a _fabulous_ night's sleep on a ridiculously comfortable bed. Her room was really pretty too; done in cream and gold, it was like out of a fairy tale and she felt like a princess in it.

After Klaus had shown her around the positively enormous house and to a room, she had meticulously unpacked every single item in her possession and put them away before collapsing into bed. Driving for fourteen hours straight and then cementing a life-saving deal all in one day could severely exhaust the body and mind, after all. Now some things about the deal were a bit sucky—there was the fact that Katherine had to donate blood in trade for her freedom—but in the long run, what was a bit of blood in exchange for your life? Exactly…not that much at all. Better to be down a bit of blood than be dead, in both hers and Katherine's minds.

Rolling out of bed, Caroline started on her daily routine. Now, if she had been at her own home or at Bonnie or Elena's, she would have just padded down to breakfast in her sweatpants and tank top with yesterday's makeup smeared under her eyes, hair up in a messy bun. But this was _Klaus's_ house. She had to have a modicum of dignity around her at all times. Besides, she just got out of a relationship! This was not the time to make herself fully at home. Slipping the wedges onto her feet, Caroline glanced in the mirror. She looked good. The sundress was cute, her hair looked less like a poufy mess, and her makeup was reapplied flawlessly. It was time for breakfast.

-0-0-0-0-0-

After a minor detour in which Caroline might have taken a wrong turn and ended up in the library, she finally found the kitchen, where the Mikaelsons and Katherine were all sitting. Klaus and Elijah were sitting at opposite ends of the table, both reading the newspaper. Rebekah sat to the left of Klaus, sipping at a mug of something and messing around with her phone. Katherine was as far as humanly possible from Klaus—so directly beside Elijah—and she was picking at a bowl of fruit. Taking the seat across from Rebekah and next to Katherine, Caroline smiled.

"Good morning everyone!" She said cheerily, receiving nods or brief smiles in return.

"Morning, Caroline." Klaus folded his newspaper and set it to the side, taking a sip out of what smelled like a mug of blood. "I assume you would like some breakfast?" When she nodded to the affirmative, he smiled. "There is blood in the fridge, a variety of food in the pantry, and coffee and tea can be found on the counter. Just make yourself at home, love."

"Thank you, Klaus." said Caroline. She headed over the fridge and grabbed a blood bag before dumping the contents into a mug and warming it up. When the microwave timer went off, she grabbed her food and sat back down, sipping everyone so often and enjoying the silence. Sadly, that was not to last.

* * *

About a minute or so later, a loud scuffle came from behind Caroline, and the occupants of the room looked up to see Hayley standing in the doorway. She seemed to be dressed in these hideous baggy pajamas, and she was the last person that Caroline had expected to see.

"Um, what the hell are they doing here?" And it appeared that the little werewolf slut felt the same way about her as well. Charming.

"We're here on business, cupcake. I think it would be more interesting to find out what exactly my former informant is doing here." Katherine took a bite out of her strawberry, barely even sparing a glance to the newcomer.

"Wait, what was she doing for you? She was also working for Shane." Caroline blurted out.

"She was my little spy during the search for the cure. She was very busy, weaseling out every little secret she could. I directed her to a witch who was knowledgeable on the matters of werewolves in exchange. How on earth did she find time to do anything else?" Katherine leaned back in her chair, chewing casually on her fruit.

Klaus was shocked. His…baby mama, as they so crudely put in this century, had apparently worked for his eternal annoyance. That was not irritating in the least. Elijah, on the other hand, had known that Katherine had a mole in Mystic Falls, but he had assumed that it was the sniveling little girl that had followed his sister around like a lost puppy. The fact that it was _Hayley _was surprising. She had come off as very…innocent originally. Rebekah was just laughing at the irony of it all. She hadn't known the details of the werewolf's past—it's not like she actually considered the girl anything more than a source of amusement. There had been a distinct lack of female persons in her home, and Hayley had been a convenient outlet for her loneliness. Of course, now there were other women in the house. And while she may have had a troubled history with both Caroline and Katherine, they were certainly more her type than the pregnant werewolf.

"Don't ask me. All I know is that she helped unsire all of those hybrids in Mystic Falls and made them believe that she had a witch to desiccate Klaus, while in reality she just set them all up to be killed so that Silas could be awoken." Caroline turned her glare on Hayley before her attention was drawn to Klaus, who had stood up so abruptly that his chair made a loud screech backwards.

"You're the one who unsired all of my hybrids?" Klaus was horrified. He exchanged a look with his brother before staring at the offender. "And why on earth did you lead them to their death! I didn't know much about the relationships between my hybrids and you, but I know that they considered you to be a friend. How dare you betray your pack?"

"I needed information on my family. There had to be twelve for the sacrifice. I provided them. It was nothing personal." Hayley answered, in her usual annoying tone.

Caroline could tell that Klaus was outraged, and that her comment had clearly set him off. That was not what she had intended to do, truly. His stance screamed rage; from the way that he was gesturing to his expressions, he was horrified. She didn't know that much about werewolf culture, but if she knew anything it was that the pack was a sacred thing. They were your family, and to betray them meant eternal shame.

He scoffed in response, horrified. "She will be moved as soon as possible. I don't care what we have to do, but she will be out of my sight. If it had not been for the circumstances, she would be dead already, do you understand me?" Klaus said, and this appeared to be directed at Elijah. The women at the table simply sat back watching, as this did not seem to be their fight to intervene in.

"Brother, that cannot happen. The witches have made their terms for this arrangement clear, and if we do not comply the repercussions will be something that none of us wish to test." The man in question answered.

"Damn the witches! I do not care if we have to put her on a boat in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico for the remaining months, I do not wish to have to look upon her, for she has committed the most grievous sin known to the species: betrayal." Klaus rubbed his temples slightly, as if he had a headache coming on. "Do whatever it takes, just get her out of here, Elijah!" He stormed out of the kitchen, walking purposefully in a way so as to avoid Hayley.

* * *

In the kitchen, everyone sat silently. Elijah, Katherine, Rebekah, and Caroline all were still at the table, simply taking everything in. Hayley sat at the counter, her usual smug look on her face. She appeared to be enjoying the attention that she had gotten. Elijah stood up and buttoned his jacket, obviously going after his brother.

"Wait!" Caroline said. She stood up from the table. "Let me go talk to him."

"Miss Forbes—"

"You can call me Caroline, first of all. And secondly, I think he needs an unbiased person to talk too. He's too angry to reach a compromise at the moment. I'll go see what I can do." She walked off in the direction that she had heard Klaus go.

Elijah simply nodded in assent, and retook his seat. It was an interesting dynamic, the one between his brother and Miss Forbes. Their friendship was certainly something to observe further. She seemed to care for him, and Niklaus certainly held a soft spot for the young lady. Elijah was no fool; he had seen the way that his brother had looked at Miss Forbes the previous evening, and there was no doubt that she was the reason that the deal to save Katerina's life was made.

Oh, but he had other things to worry about than his brother's love life. Like the fact that Katerina was dying, which he would not allow to happen.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Caroline knocked on the door lightly.

"Elijah, I do not wish to speak to you at the moment. Kindly go away." Klaus's voice answered from the inside. Well, apparently she had guessed correctly. He had spoken fondly of his office when giving her a tour the previous evening, and she had presumed that he would be here. Apparently she was right.

"Since I'm not your brother and I really don't think the suit would look good on me, may I come in?" She asked tentatively, opening the door a bit.

Klaus was bracing one hand against the wall as he looked out the window. "Caroline. Yes, you may."

"Thanks." The lady stepped into Klaus's haven. It really was a lovely room, with large windows and a fireplace on one of the walls. There was a large desk near one wall, and a few chairs were arranged near the bookshelves on another. She could see a covered easel near the brightest section of the room.

"No offense, but I'm really quite curious as to why you are here, love." Klaus turned and leaned against the wall as Caroline came further into his study.

"I wanted to apologize. Sort of." At his arched eyebrow and somewhat smile, she smiled softly. "Just… Clearly what I said struck a chord, and I really didn't mean for that to happen. I'm not apologizing for outing the little wereslut, but I'm sorry that it caused you distress." Caroline shrugged. "And, if you want to talk to someone about why, I'm here."

"I am surprised that you beat Elijah to my door, I must say."

"Yeah… I figured the last thing you needed was for him to push his opinion. Someone might end up daggered, you know?" There was a smile playing on her lips, which let him know that she was merely teasing. Her smile disappeared quickly however, and he could almost sense what was to come out of her mouth next. "Klaus… If you detest Hayley so much, then what exactly is she doing in your house?" Caroline watched his expression drop.

Klaus sighed, and stood up. "I'm going to need a drink for this conversation, love. Would you like anything?"

"I don't suppose champagne would be appropriate," Caroline smiled, knowing that he had once dubbed the drink 'their thing', trying to cheer him up "so I suppose that whatever you're having would be good, thank you."

He arched an eyebrow at her reference, but said nothing as he poured the drinks and walked back over to their seats, handing her one before sitting down.

"Hayley is staying here because she is pregnant." Klaus said gently, clearly trying to gage her reaction.

"Well, yes. That baggy t-shirt wasn't doing anything to cover up the baby bump, no matter how hard she may be trying, and I heard the extra heartbeat from the moment she walked into the kitchen." Caroline shrugged. She didn't know where he was going with this, but it couldn't be pretty. Maybe they were running a hostel for skanky pregnant werewolves? It could be some twisted Alpha thing he had to do.

"You picked up on the heartbeat?" He seemed surprised. That wouldn't be something that many would hear, as the child's heartbeat was very faint, even to his enhanced hearing.

"I'm more than a bit OCD, and I've been tuning into heartbeats lately as a mechanism to pick out the supernatural beings in a crowd. I like to be prepared. There were only supposed to be two when Hayley came into the kitchen-hers and Katherine's-but there was a third faint one. I put two and two together as I had already noticed the bump—which I had previously attributed to her just gaining a lot of weight—and the natural conclusion was that she was pregnant. But that still doesn't answer my question of why she's here." Caroline sipped a tiny bit out of her drink, not liking the expression on his face at all.

"Caroline, I believe you have missed my point." Klaus sighed. "Hayley is pregnant, and the child is mine."

* * *

**AN: Quite the cliffhanger, no? I had truly intended for Klaroline to discuss Magic Demon Baby Mikaelson, but they ran away with their flirting for too long, so that lovely scene will start off next chapter. I took a very unique angle with the conversation, so I hope you all like it.**

**How did I do with Hayley? Was she hated on sufficiently enough? I really detest her character, so we're going to have a bit of fun with the skanky werewolf.**

**A few of you have asked about Bonnie... I can tell you that her reasons for being in NOLA won't entirely revolve around the fact that Caroline is there. She'll have two others, to be exact, and one of them ****_might_**** include around a certain reckless Original brother with an appreciation for witches. But shh! You didn't hear that from me. ;)**

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing! I read each and every single review, and they just make me want to write even more.**

**Oh, and I had a question come in about the title for this story... I took it from the poem "I carry your heart with me (I carry it in)" be E.E. Cummings. It's a very lovely poem, and you all should go read it.**

** Have a Happy New Year!**

**-Abi**


	6. Chapter 6

Previously on ATCL: _"Hayley is pregnant, and the child is mine."_

* * *

Caroline blinked twice before downing the rest of her glass in one fell swoop. This was unreal. Klaus had fathered a child. Klaus, the vampire/werewolf hybrid who liked to give her pretty drawings, and was good friends with her, and had told her that he intended to be her _last love_ for goodness sake was going to be a father. And the mother was a skanky werebitch that had snapped her neck.

"Seriously?" She asked, shrieking slightly.

"To be quite honest, Caroline, this is not something that I would joke about." Klaus's forearms were resting on his knees, and he was staring at the carpet.

"How did this even happen?" Caroline was in shock. "And why on earth would you sleep with the wereslut? I mean, _really_?"

"It was a liquor-fueled one night stand, love. I honestly am quite annoyed by her presence. And that was before I knew of her misdeeds."

"No, no, not that. I mean like…biologically. How is this even possible?" Klaus raised his head, glad that she didn't seem to be furious. He could tell by her stance that she was irritated, but she wasn't yelling at him. That could be a good sign.

"While I may be a vampire, my werewolf side is equal in strength. Somehow or another it…happened." He shrugged. Caroline took in his form, worried at how he was not taking this in his normal manner. He was so defeated, about it. She had always seen Klaus as a strong man. He always seemed to have it all together. But now, this seemed to be the one thing that he couldn't fix. The one mistake he couldn't erase either by money or by force. This was a baby.

"Is this why you decided to stay in New Orleans?" She asked. His answer was going to be a deciding factor, she knew. It would be understandable if he had come down to New Orleans for this and decided to stay—she really was quite proud that he seemed to be taking responsibility for his child—but it would hurt also. He had asked her multiple times to come with him, but if he was down here only for this… Caroline, Klaus, Hayley, and a baby. That sounded like a soap opera.

"No." His answer was firm, and Klaus stood up, pacing a bit across the rug. Caroline sat back calmly, understanding that he needed to get something off his chest. "My siblings and I built this marvelous city over three hundred years ago. It was the happiest that we have ever been; we lived in peace with the witches, werewolves, and humans. I had a protégé by the name of Marcellus. I raised him as my own son, and when he wished to be turned, I granted his wish."

"You loved him, didn't you?" Caroline asked softly, the answer written across his gestures.

"He was a member of my family from the age of ten. Yes, I did." He stopped his pacing momentarily, but soon resumed. "In 1919, Mikael found my siblings and I. He set fire to the city, and we were forced to flee. We thought Marcel didn't make it out." Klaus ran a hand through his hair.

"But he did."

"Marcel took my city Caroline, and rebuilt it into his own. He holds the throne that was once mine, and I want it back. He uses the seal of my family, and has warped into his own. He knew we were alive the whole time. We did not exactly live in seclusion. Marcel would have been welcomed with open arms, had he just come back. Instead he chose to steal my kingdom, and that is not something I will tolerate. As of about a week ago, I am at war." Klaus stopped, and faced the girl on the sofa, who currently appeared to be taking everything in.

"That's… A lot to handle." Caroline said. "But it is a very legitimate reason."

"So you aren't going to tell me off for being territorial?" He asked.

"As if I have any right!" She giggled. "You're speaking to the girl who compelled away the competition for captain of the cheer squad! Though, don't actually tell anyone about that. My mom would kill me." He couldn't help it. Klaus burst into laughter. Caroline gave him a dirty look, before giving up and just joining in. "Just think of it as my kingdom. I was queen of my school. It's like a smaller and much more catty New Orleans!"

"I can certainly draw the parallels, sweetheart. I just find it hilarious that you would find it necessary to compel your competition when you could easily beat them." He said.

"Oh please. It wasn't that I could beat them, I knew that. It was that they were annoying me! I have held the leadership position in every single committee or campaign—unless you count the 'Legalize Designer Drugs' protest; that was run by the stoners and I stayed _far _away—at that school since I was in the tenth grade. I take my position as leader very seriously, and the uprising needed to be eliminated." She set her empty glass down on the coffee table as she spoke, entirely serious.

"So you understand what I am doing, then." Klaus was impressed. He had expected her to call him something along the lines of 'an overbearing, egotistical, ass', but instead she seemed to almost be condoning his actions.

"Let me guess… Right now you're playing the political game, trying to gain allies while planting seeds of doubt in Marcel's ranks, correct?" Caroline smiled at his stunned nod of affirmation. "I won Homecoming Queen in freshman year by running an underground smear campaign against Gracie Lockwood. And did I mention that all the informants to the cause had formerly been her dedicated helpers?" She arched an eyebrow. "I'm better at playing the game of thrones than many may think."

Klaus clapped his hands for a few seconds, applauding her before coming to sit back down. "You truly are a devious woman, aren't you? I think you will do just fine here in New Orleans. I must confess that I was worried about how you would take everything."

"Quite frankly, the prospect of being able to witness this war is intriguing, and I need to be here anyways, for Katherine." She said. "Now, the fact that all of a sudden you've got a baby on the way is a bit weird, but I can't really judge you on that point. Well, other than the fact that your baby mama is a skanky bitch. I mean… You could get a disease from that one." While…frustrated at the fact that Klaus was having a child with _Hayley_ of all people, they were not together. She had no claim on him or his actions. If he wanted to sleep with the wereslut, then it was perfectly within his realm to do so. Even now, Caroline had no say in what he did, other than as a friend. It may hurt slightly, but it was not her place to tell him that. Taking a deep breath, her gaze shifted from the wall to Klaus, who was currently staring at the carpet once more. "How… How are you feeling about the baby?"

"That's what you're asking me? You aren't mad?" He asked. She seemed to be surprising him constantly today.

Caroline gave him a look. "First of all, I have no claim over your actions. I don't have a right to be mad, okay? So chill. You're my friend; I'm not going to get all pissy because you knocked a girl up. I am concerned about how you're taking this, though. I'm guessing that you weren't one those guys that wanted a brood of children as a human, and that was a thousand years ago, so I can imagine that you're going out of your mind right now!"

Klaus just looked at her for a moment, thanking whomever was out there that Caroline Forbes was on this earth. She was saying everything that he needed to hear. He was bloody terrified at the prospect of being a father, and she seemed to pick up on that. He cared for the child already—even if he detested its mother—and he did not want this baby to be harmed because its father was a monster. "It's a girl. At least, we're all fairly sure of that. A witch did some test, and thinks that the child is female."

"A little girl. That's nice." She smiled genuinely. "Hopefully she'll look more like your side."

"The child…isn't human. She's going to be some sort of hybrid. Something different. Her body heals itself like a vampire's and," Klaus put his head in his hands. "the baby's blood can make hybrids. Without needing doppelganger blood to turn on. Until we worked it out, Elijah and Hayley were convinced that I was going to use my child as a sort of…_blood bag_ to sire my own private army." The distaste was evident in his voice.

"Oh my god." Caroline said. "I mean, I can understand why he would think that; you are the one that daggers your siblings when they piss you off. But that's your own child! I'm sorry, but you would have to be like…sick in the head to actually do that to a _baby_." She was clearly horrified; whether it was by the thought of a child being used like that, or the fact that it was his brother who made the assumption, he was not sure.

"I know, love. I must confess that I did not care whether the baby lived or died for quite some time. I have had enough of family betraying over a thousand years, and the last thing that I need is one more member to watch over." Klaus's gaze switched from the lovely blonde to the wall. "But then… Hayley tried to get rid of the child with wolfsbane. She was going to put it out of its misery. With a monster for a father, and witches out to kill it, I often wonder if that itself would be more humane. But at the same time..."

"It's your child. And you find yourself protecting it, even if you're scared at the idea of being a father, and whether or not your enemies will use the baby to get to you." Caroline stood and moved to sit beside Klaus, as he clearly was in need of the comfort. No one else would dare give it to him, but he would accept it from her. She placed her hand on his shoulder and rubbed gently in a not-very-intimate gesture, but it was still one that almost crossed their invisible borders of propriety. "You love your daughter already Klaus, even if you don't want to admit it yet. But she'll be here soon, and while I don't doubt that it will be hard being a parent, I think that you will do perfectly fine in the role. The most important thing as a parent is to love your child unconditionally, and support them in every way. I think that you are already there."

"Love is a weakness, Caroline."

"You've got a kid on the way, Klaus. It can't be, anymore."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Back downstairs, Katherine was sitting with the most awkward group of people ever. There was Rebekah, who alternated between hating her guts and ignoring her, Elijah, her ex-boyfriend that was giving her mixed signals, and Hayley, her former minion. Her former minion who happened to be making googly eyes at Elijah. That bitch was going to die. She was Katherine Pierce. She could still rip the little skank limb-from-limb. Elijah may not currently be hers right now, but he was not allowed to be anyone else's, damn it! This could not be allowed to continue. It was time for an intervention.

"So, Hally, was it?" Katherine slid out of her seat between Elijah and Rebekah, stilettos tapping along the floor as she slinked to where the wolf had plopped herself on a barstool.

"The name's Hayley. Which you already knew." The little girl shot back. Oh, she thought she was so rough and tough, living with the Mikaelsons. How wrong she was. Katherine had been around five hundred and thirty eight years, surviving solely on her wits. This child was nothing.

"Oops." She shrugged, as it was obvious that she had purposefully messed up the name. "It is so easy to get my minions mixed up. There are so many of you, after all." Katherine smirked. Step One: Illustrate your target's worthlessness. "Oh wait… I think I remember you. You're the annoying one that seemed to always call at the _most_ inopportune moments. Like that one time when you called me at three in the morning after I was positively _exhausted_ from an amazing night. Don't you remember that, 'Lijah?" She tossed her hair, shooting the observing man a wicked smile. "I believe you asked if we could just kill the caller to make them shut up, no?"

Elijah arched an eyebrow, but Katherine could tell see the smirk playing on his lips. Damn. He was on to her. She would have to up her game. "Now you're just being mean, Katerina."

"Or I could be using you as a good example. You were always the one that told me not to tell lies, after all. Can you really a blame a girl for speaking the truth?" She allowed a pout to cross her face, and batted her lashes innocently.

"Either you two take your flirting to a room, or shut it! I do not want to hear the dirty details of my brother's sordid affair with _you_. Understand?" Rebekah spoke up, thoroughly unamused.

"Someone's not getting any." Katherine muttered, not really under her breath. "What, are you too hung up on Matt to have a dalliance with anyone else?" Probably not the best thing to say when her ex was listening to the conversation, but her last fuck had flown out the window when Hayley started making eyes at her man.

"Do I sense a bit of resentment in that statement, Katherine? Because you sure as hell look pretty hung up yourself. Last time I saw you, you were your normal slutty self. Now you're like this…washed up version of who you used to be." Rebekah shot back. Sadly, she had a thousand years worth of comebacks under her belt, which just made this verbal war harder.

"Yeah, it's too bad that I had to run from yet another psychotic immortal. Do you know how bulky cosmetics are to carry around?" Katherine whined. "Not to mention I couldn't access my alternate IDs and passports. Trust me, if it had been my choice, I would have gone to a very remote house of mine far, far, away from where anyone could find me. So, sorry that I'm not at my absolute best right now. Be glad. If you had taken the cure, I'm pretty sure a thousand years rots a lot faster than five hundred and some change."

"But there's a difference between you and me, Katherine." Rebekah's eyes glinted evilly as she stood and stalked towards the brunette. "You see, if I had taken the cure, my brothers would have protected me from Silas. You have no one. It must be miserable, being you. You know, waking up to all the bad parts of yourself in the morning, completely alone and terribly weak?" The two women stood eye-to-eye, glaring at each other.

"Touché, Rebekah. Touché." The words may have hurt, but Katherine knew that they were revenge for what she had said to the blonde in Willoughby. And besides, they were true.

Silence reigned for a moment, Elijah eying the two women in the center of the room carefully, as if he might have to break up a catfight in a moment, but it was broken by someone they all had forgotten about.

"Did you two just bond by bitching at each other?" Hayley popped in.

"No!" Katherine and Rebekah answered in unison before throwing daggers at each other once more.

"Well aren't you two just a couple of drama queens?" The little wolf couldn't seem to just shut up, could she?

"You know, I had really hoped that she had disappeared during our conversation. That would have been perfect. I don't normally allow my _pets_ in the house, you see?" Katherine completely ignored the other woman, directing her conversation to Rebekah.

"I wish she would have disappeared weeks ago, but alas! That has not yet happened. Now that Nik is insisting upon it, maybe something will actually get done." Rebekah may not have liked Katherine, but even Katherine was better than her brother's whiny baby mama.

"You know, I never asked why she was here anyways. I would have thought that she would have been with Lockwood." Katherine shifted her attention to Hayley. "You really are not doing any wonders for that baby bump with the baggy clothes, you know? Just because you forgot how to use birth control doesn't mean that you need to let your personal hygiene go."

"You knew that she was pregnant? And why Lockwood?" Rebekah asked.

"I'm the one who told her she was pregnant. I heard the heartbeat when we met up one time. She wanted confirmation, so I sent her to the Deveraux witch. Janie, or whatever she was called, had a reputation for knowing the manners and matters of werewolves. I had a pregnant wolf on my hands, so she was the most logical choice. I assumed it was Lockwood's child because I heard rumors from my other informants that those two were an item. Beyond that, my interest in a minion's child was zero to none." The brunette rolled her eyes, but very aware that she had missed something important.

"I'm pregnant with Klaus's kid." Hayley said seriously. "And I'm stuck in this house because the witches are going to kill me and the baby if I don't stay here."

Katherine clapped a hand over her mouth and giggled slightly before sitting back down in her seat. "So that's what you meant when you said the witches were blackmailing your family last night." She said to Elijah. Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "Well, I think it is safe to say that my stay in New Orleans is going to be _very_ interesting."

* * *

**AN: Well that's it for chapter six! How did you all like it? **

**I know I took a really unique stance with Caroline's reaction... The majority of the stories that I have read like this usually end up with her throwing things and having a bitch-fest like a five year old child. And Caroline is more mature than that. Also, she's Klaus's friend, not his girlfriend. She has no say in what he does or does not do, other than as a friend. Canonically, Caroline has proven to discuss things out calmly with her guy friends (Stefan, and even Tyler when they were just friends), and she tends to be supportive but doesn't sugarcoat anything. The drama only comes in when she's around her girl friends, because let's face it, girls are full of ridiculous amounts of drama. Caroline is a pretty even-tempered person overall, and I wanted to express that.**

**I also wanted to show how utterly freaked out Klaus is. I mean... The guy went from not being able to have children for a thousand years, and now all of a sudden he's knocked a girl up. With his shitty childhood and terrible excuse for a father, and I can only imagine how scared he is. And Caroline is the only one that he would even dare express it to. **

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! It's the longest one to date (by over five hundred words!) and chapter seven is shaping up to be as long or slightly longer! I'm introducing Camille and Sophie in the next chapter, just so you all know!**

**Thank you so much for all of the reviews! I truly enjoy reading them.**

**-Abi**


	7. Chapter 7

Previously on ATCL: _"Well, I think it is safe to say that my stay in New Orleans is going to be very interesting."_

* * *

After everyone and their mother's brother had thrown a hissy fit that morning— it really was only Hayley throwing the fit; apparently there was no more cereal in the manor that was to her liking—Caroline managed to persuade Klaus into taking her on a tour of New Orleans. Being the sneaky little matchmaker that she was, the lady also insisted that Katherine and Elijah accompany them as well. ("It isn't good for your health to be cooped up in this house, and you really need some sun. You're looking a bit pale, Petrova.") Katherine had shot her a glare, but agreed. Besides, she was hungry.

Rebekah had been invited along as well—a fact that had perked her up considerably and brought a smile to the blonde's face—but she had been made to stay home and "protect Hayley from the witches" by Elijah. As if a grown woman needed a babysitter in the first place. Of course, Rebekah staying behind had saved Caroline from having to invite Hayley out as well, for politeness's sake. Klaus's suggestion of just handing her over to the witches and saving the rest of them the trouble of watching the little wolf was starting to sound more appealing every minute. Rebekah had understandably been upset at being left behind, but the other four had left before she could protest any longer. Caroline felt a bit bad for her sort-of enemy. It would really suck to have to babysit _Hayley_ of all people.

* * *

New Orleans was a beautiful city, and Caroline could certainly understand why it was one of Klaus's favorite places in the world. It seemed to be sentient. There was a constant ebb-and-flow of musicians, artists, and tourists. Color abounded, exploding all around in pops and bursts, and the smells that wafted from the various restaurants into her enhanced senses were delectable. As they walked through the French Quarter, Caroline couldn't help but look everywhere all at once. It was just so much to take in.

"So, love, what do you think of New Orleans? Does it live up to your expectations?" Klaus asked her. Elijah and Katherine were walking slightly ahead, as the other two had taken more time to sightsee.

Caroline had a pensive look upon her face as she turned from viewing her surroundings to the man beside her. "I think that I'm looking upon genuine beauty." The corners of her mouth turned up into a half-smile. "I find the city very pleasing. It's so alive and energizing. I could spend forever here." Too late she realized that her words could be taken in a context other than her simply visiting the city, and it seemed that Klaus had noticed as well. He was doing the eyebrow-arch-thingy again while smiling. Why did he have to be so damn adorable? "Anyways," She quickly started before anything got awkward, "I've heard the cuisine in New Orleans is to die for. What do you recommend I try?"

"As a matter-of-fact, I know a little bar that is renowned for its gumbo. Shall we go there?" He asked. At her nod in response, he shot off a quick text to Elijah, letting him know of their destination.

"You would find a bar to regularly patron after only being here a short time. What, are you missing the Grille, in all of its five-star glory?" She teased, laughing brightly.

"Don't tell anyone that I said this, but I got quite attached to that rundown, miserable, little place. It had a certain charm that one only finds in tiny towns in the middle of nowhere." Klaus laughed at her indignant expression. "You must admit that Mystic Falls is not exactly the most influential town on the map, no matter how dedicated to the Beautification Committee that you are."

"I will have you know that I quit the Beautification Committee last year because I got too busy. Of course, the town looks terrible now and the parks are falling apart, but what could I expect? They relied upon me." Klaus laughed, Caroline's hands landing upon her hips as she let him become very aware of her disapproval. "What on earth is so hilarious?"

"When you said this morning that you were queen of your high school, sweetheart, I think you were grossly understating yourself. You were queen of that whole bloody town." He calmed down a bit, a teasing smile still present.

She rolled her eyes, and bumped him lightly with her hip. "Oh shush. You aren't the one that will be getting frantic calls at two in the morning because someone misplaced the number for my usual caterer, or because the floral arrangements clash with the tablecloths. And I won't even _get _into the headache that is seating charts. One wrong move, and you could have a brawl on your hands!" Caroline gestured as they walked and talked. "I honestly don't know what they will do when I leave town. I can't stay there forever, after all."

"The town will fall into ruins, and all of the socialite mothers will mourn the loss of the great Caroline Forbes, who was at the top of their 'Acceptable Women for My Son' list." Klaus jabbed lightly, and she erupted into a fountain of giggles.

"Well the socialite mothers will have to get over it. I'm too badass for their sons. I would rather die than become a trophy wife." She proclaimed dramatically, but glancing sideways at him. Sometimes… Well, her doubt got in the way. It niggled at the back of her mind, telling Caroline that all she was meant to be was the resident Disney Princess of Mystic Falls. That she would have grown old as some Fell, or Lockwood, or Walters, or any other of the Founding Family member's trophy wife. She would have popped out two-point-five kids, and lived in a nice house with a dog and a husband that pretended to love her in public. Her life would have been spent planning and going to parties. And that would have been it.

Sometimes, it was very hard for Caroline to believe that _Klaus Mikaelson_, the most powerful being on the planet, could want her. For eternity. That he didn't just consider her another prize to be won. But then… His words that night—the ones that told her that he was glad that she was too smart to be seduced by him—came back and soothed away her doubt. She may not actually admit her thoughts and feelings about Klaus to anyone else, but in the very deepest recesses of her heart, Caroline knew that he was much more than a close friend. And that is what scared her the most.

"You are too strong-willed to ever be reduced to the position of a trophy wife, sweetheart. That would be an extraordinary waste of potential." Klaus said. He had seen the look that crossed her face as she tried to cover up her hurts with dramatics, and it both angered and broke his heart. He was a man that had felt much pain in his long, long, life. The thought that Caroline might actually feel some of the very same self-doubt that he felt as well ripped at his core.

"But I wasn't always, you see. I was a child for so long in my life. That is how everyone in Mystic Falls sees me. They still see the girly little Caroline, and that is not who I am anymore." Her chin was held high, steel in her voice and tears seeping at her eyes. This was the last conversation that Caroline had ever expected to have with Klaus, but he was her friend, after all. It was okay.

"They are stifling you. You put up this façade of loving your town and your committees—and maybe a small part of you still does truly love those things—but you are being smothered. And you just acknowledged it, didn't you?" He knew how she felt. He knew what the wanderlust of a soul that was meant to fly felt like. He knew the pain that one felt when they were trapped; held to the person that they once were, and were never allowed to change or grow. He knew the feeling, because Klaus had once experienced that feeling. He often still did.

Caroline could do nothing but nod, overcome with sadness. She wanted to live up to the image she had created for herself, but it seemed that all she did was fall short. She would never be the perfect daughter that her parents deserved. She couldn't fulfill all that the town wished for her to do. She was a constant disappointment, and it killed her. Tears started to drip down her face, and Caroline wiped at them harshly.

Seeing the distress his love was in, Klaus did something that he had not yet done. He wrapped his arm around Caroline, and led her out of the middle of the street to the side, pulling her into a half-hug as she continued to fail at drying her tears. "It's alright, Caroline. It is alright to have grown out of Mystic Falls. You just became too big for them. You aren't a bad person for it." He smiled slightly, trying to cheer her up. "I would offer you a handkerchief, but I am afraid that is more of my brother's thing."

"And I thought you were an old-fashioned man." Caroline giggled lightly, grief still in her eyes.

"I have moved along with the times." Klaus said. "But Caroline, it is okay to move on earlier than you had expected. You are a vampire, and your thought processes change when that happens. It is normal."

Caroline's response was not what he had expected. "What do you think your life would be like, had you never turned?" By now they had joined the turbulence in the street, and continued on their way.

Klaus thought for a moment. It was not something that he had pondered much over the years; he liked what he was, and did not wish to be weak again. It was a hard question, and none had ever thought to ask him it before. "I would have married some girl from the village—one that Mikael approved of, of course—worked, hunted, and in general just survived. There probably would have been a passel of children running underfoot because everyone had a large family, then. It would have been the life that was expected of me. Would I have truly been happy? I do not know. It would have been my only option, and so I would have gone along with it."

"That sounds like a very simple life. Pleasant, but simple." She shrugged.

"That's because it was." Klaus agreed. Up ahead, Elijah and Katherine were waiting at the entrance to Rousseau's, and he quickly changed the topic. "And here we are, love! You can try all kinds of Creole cuisine here." His brother held the door for the ladies, and they all walked into the little restaurant.

* * *

It was a charming little place, if a bit dark. Klaus led the party to a table in the back, surrounded by quaint little paintings and unique light fixtures.

"It's a cute place." Katherine commented as she took her seat next to Caroline. "Who's the brunette mentally stabbing you at 10 o'clock?"

Klaus turned to look. "That would be Sophie Deveraux. She's a witch, and her life is currently linked to the one of my unborn child. Hence why she's still alive."

"And clearly she doesn't like you. Good taste." Katherine shot back. She paused for a moment as a waitress took their order before turning to Elijah. "Might she be able to stop this charming death that I am currently suffering from? Because I'd like to get back to a normal state before I'm bedridden."

"As it seems that she is coming over here, why don't you ask her yourself, Katerina?" Elijah noticed the witch making her way through the tables.

"She's a witch. They don't generally like me." Katherine got in the last word right before said witch appeared at their table.

"What are you all doing here?" Sophie asked, hostility radiating throughout her voice.

"Simply showing our friends around town! Is that such a crime?" Klaus smirked.

"Considering the fact that any friends of yours must be bad news, then yes." She shot back.

"I kind of take offense to the friend statement. I don't really consider myself to be his friend. More like…former enemy turned temporary ally." Katherine raised her eyebrows, bringing Sophie's attention to her.

"She's a vampire." Sophie gestured at Caroline. "But you, you're something else. You have the air of a doppelganger, but that's not it…" A puzzled look came over the witch's face.

"Sadly, for the former. At least I'm the cutest one. The name's Katherine Pierce." She smirked. "As for the second part, try former vampire. I got a millennium-old cure for immortality shoved down my throat, and right now, I'm in need of a witch to…fix me."

Sophie laughed bitterly. "First of all, you wouldn't ever get my help. You sent Hayley to my sister, and then she died. Secondly, a witch with the power to perform a spell of that caliber is one in a thousand. You're talking about reversing the effects of an ancient potion. That would require serious amounts of power. Sorry, but it's not going to happen. You may as well start making funeral arrangements." With that the Deveraux witch went back to where she came from.

Katherine sat in her seat, desperately trying to contain her emotions. She didn't want to die. Not now, not ever. She was supposed to have eternal life. She was strong, powerful, ageless. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not to her. Her eyes were focused on the tabletop, her fingers trembling in her lap. In that moment, she was not five hundred and thirty eight years of age. In that moment, she was eighteen and she had just been told by a second person that she was dying. And she really just wanted her mother.

"Petrova… Are you okay?" Caroline's soft voice and gentle hand brought her back to reality.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Katherine attempted to assure herself.

"Umm…." The other girl clearly tried to not say the obvious.

"I'm fine, Forbes, okay? God. Do you have to be so incessant?" She shot back, getting pissed. Right now, she just wanted to be left alone.

"No need to get bitchy on me. Though I suppose it's better than you being a weeping mess." Caroline rolled her eyes.

"That's more of my doppelganger's thing, don't you think? I don't cry."

"Now, I wouldn't say that. The night before we came here, you seemed to have big, fat, tears rolling down your face." The blonde girl smirked at the glare she received in response.

"I was positively drunk and we were discussing less-than-pleasant moments in our lives. You were sobbing too." Katherine huffed, and crossed her arms.

"Now that I think about it, we were both sobbing messes that night…" Caroline agreed.

"Remind me never to get you drunk then, love." Klaus cut in.

"In my defense, it was a _really _big bottle of bourbon. And since she's smashed after like three glasses now, I felt compelled to finish off the rest of it. It was a girl's night, and those nights are meant to get drunk and cry. Normally I would have included chocolate and _The Notebook_, but I didn't have all of my resources available at the time."

"_The Notebook_? I've always found that movie to be overrated." A new voice said. Caroline's gaze turned quickly to the blonde newcomer, and narrowed her eyes.

"Seriously!? It is one of the best love stories of all time. How on earth could you dislike it? And what is your name anyways?" She asked completely seriously. Katherine snickered in the background, the two males perplexed as they had never having seen said movie.

"It's cliché-ridden and overly-sentimental." The intruder retorted. "The name's Cami. What are you doing with these two?"

"It is a story of undying love and devotion. He loved her as young man, he loved her when she left him, and he loved her when he was old, even when she did not know him anymore. Even you cannot disagree with that." Caroline turned around fully in her chair until she was facing this Cami person. "Lovely to meet you. And if you must know, I went to high school with Rebekah. We were on the cheer squad together. Anything else personal you want to know?" Well, technically it was the truth, even if that comment gained her an eyebrow raise and an amused look from Klaus.

"It is an illogical movie. Love doesn't happen like that. Men don't just wait for women in the real life. You're being a hopelessly romantic little girl with your head in the clouds. And one day you'll grow up out of your little fantasy world." Cami said. "Nope. I think I'm done."

Caroline's eyes glinted with what could either be the intent to murder or to bitchslap the human in front of her. "But you see, Cami, real men wait for the woman they love. I'm sorry if you've been consorting with the pathetic sort, but that is really your fault." Raising a perfectly-done eyebrow at the derisive comment out of her rival's mouth, Caroline affixed her best queenly look. "I may be a romantic, but at least I don't have a stick up my ass. You're more than welcome to leave now." She made a slight shooing motion, smiling the whole time.

Her tablemates had mixed reactions. Elijah was mainly amused, but hoping that no one caused more of a scene than they already had. Klaus was torn being stepping in for Caroline and letting her fight it out, but he chose the latter. She was magnificent when angry, and he actually enjoyed her scathing words when they were not being used on him. Katherine was just proud. Her favorite baby vamp had just aced Bitch 101.

Cami didn't leave, however. "Oh. I came over here in the first place to give you this. Marcel sends his regards." She shoved a piece of paper on the table facedown before heading out the doors of Rousseau's.

Elijah was the first one to grab the paper, and he quickly scanned it before handing it to his brother. Klaus looked it over—mouthing 'shit' in the process—before standing up quickly and shoving the offensive item in his pocket.

"Time to leave, ladies." He held his hand out to Caroline, who joined him once she realized his not-taking-no-for-an-answer face was on. She looped her arm with his, as Elijah did the same with Katherine after leaving enough money on the table to cover their bill. The four made their way out and down the road a bit before Caroline stopped.

"What the hell just happened back there?" Caroline noticed that Klaus seemed to be scanning the alleyways and streets.

"I told you of Marcel, Caroline. He's throwing a party this weekend, and from the subtle threat he just sent me, our attendance is mandatory." Klaus sighed, urging her to walk on and back to the car swiftly.

"So he's countering you in the political game." She said, not seeing the problem with this.

"Yes, he is. But he was not supposed to know of your presence in New Orleans until I told him, thus lessening the potential for harm being done to you. We're going to have to keep up your story of being Rebekah's friend for the time being. Marcel has a soft spot for my sister, and so that will keep you in a safer political position." They finally made it back to the car, and Klaus bundled Caroline inside as Elijah and Katherine hurried in. From their expressions, he could tell that his brother had filled Katherine in as well.

"So now I have to pretend to be Rebekah's bestie?" At Klaus's affirming nod, she huffed. "Lovely."

"Before this party, love, we have some business to discuss back at the manor." Klaus said, and Caroline's mind went whirring with the possibilities of what was to come.

* * *

**AN: Did you enjoy it? Sorta like it? Hate it with all that you have?**

**Sorry for the lack of Kalijah in this chapter. It was meant to be a very Klaroline heavy one, as well as to see the introduction of Cami and Sophie, but my babies are back next chapter, and they make their presence known!**

**As I am writing this author's note, 1x10 of ****_The Originals _****has not yet aired, but I plan to watch it tonight! Honestly, I'm watching the show for Klaus and Davina at this point. Elijah's so OOC that it almost makes me sick, and while Rebekah is in-character, my poor little girl is just getting screwed over yet again by an unworthy man.**

**Speaking of Rebekah, I know she hasn't been in the story much yet, but she certainly has bigger moments in the coming chapters. I have a vision for her, and it should turn out really well.**

**Anyways, I should get back to writing chapter eight of this story so that you all can have some more to read next week!**

**Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**

**Rejecting the reality of a non-suited Elijah and substituting my own,**

**Abi**


	8. Chapter 8

Previously on ATCL: _"Before this party, love, we have some business to discuss back at the manor." _

* * *

"Rebekah, darling, could you come downstairs and stop your temper tantrum? It is extremely unbecoming for a woman of your age." Klaus called up the stairs as he, Caroline, Elijah, and Katherine walked in the door.

"Oh, are my absentee brothers finally back from their little day trip?" Rebekah appeared at the top of the stairs. "I just got the wolf to go to sleep. Could you please not shout?"

"She can't put herself to bed? She's pregnant, not an invalid." Katherine snickered.

"I am well aware, trust me. But apparently her ankles were bloated and she needed a glass—or seven—of water. So I had to fetch them. And then she needed her computer. And then she was hungry." Rebekah was clearly not amused as she came to stand at the bottom of the staircase with everyone else.

"When I was pregnant I had to go fetch my own damn water. And that sometimes required a hike in the woods." Katherine muttered, though everyone heard her comment very clearly, and agreed.

"Yet another reason to get her out of this house as swiftly as possible!" Klaus said, shooting a look at his brother.

"I'm going to start checking for places later. There is the manner of getting the witches to approve, however, and we do not want to compromise the security of your child, no matter the misdeeds of the mother." Elijah explained as the group made their way into a room that Caroline and Katherine had not seen yet.

It was a big room, with maps on two of the walls, and a large table in the center. The maps had different colored pins on them, and various other decorations were placed around the room. Another table with a fancy-looking computer system was set up in along one wall, and bookshelves were on the last wall of the room.

Noticing their wondering glances, Rebekah enlightened the other females as to what the room actually was. "This is our strategic headquarters, informally known as the war room. We plan everything in here; there's one in each of our many homes across the world."

"You guys actually have a need for something like this?" Caroline asked in awe.

"We spent almost a thousand years running from a man who knew exactly how our minds work. Whether we had split up or were together, a place to stay five steps ahead of Mikael was essential. So yes, we actually do have a need for it." Rebekah answered frankly. "I've tracked my father in a room similar to this one more times than I can count. We've planned wars, determined the sizes of rival armies, and finalized the details of subterfuge missions a hundred times over." She laughed at Caroline's expression. "What, did you think that just because we're the Original vampires that life was a party?"

"To be honest, kind of, yes. Stefan had always made it seem like that, and he was our closest authority on you all." Caroline shrugged.

"Stefan caught us at a very good time in life. The twenties were glorious." Rebekah smiled, remembering an age where she could dance until she dropped, and the blood flowed free.

"Gloria's was a lovely little joint back in the day, wasn't it?" Katherine smirked as all eyes in the room snapped to her. She was leaning against a bookshelf, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"How would you know about Gloria's?" Klaus asked, turning from the maps he had been examining on the walls.

"I may or may not have spent the duration of the 1920's within a good twenty yards from you. I got a bit bold, actually, but since I had spent the previous decade making sure Damon was getting along well with vampirism, it was Stefan's turn to be watched over. I disapproved of his company of course, but what could I do?" A very self-satisfied look took root on Katherine's face as she took in the reactions of her companions.

"You're saying that you spent the better part of a decade right at my fingertips, and I never noticed." Klaus was shocked, and his ego was a bit hurt, if he was to be honest.

"She's lying! She has to be." Rebekah crossed her arms. Caroline took a look at Elijah, and she was actually surprised at the _impressed_ look on his face.

"Let's see… You and Stefan had a penchant for feeding in public. Very messy, if I may say. And then there's the night Mikael found you two. Didn't you lose that necklace that ended up becoming my doppelganger's in the fray? Oh, and white really isn't your best color, cupcake. It washes you out." Katherine shot off one after another. By the unhappy look on Rebekah's face, Caroline knew that she was telling the truth.

"Where did you spend the twenties, Elijah?" Caroline asked, genuinely curious. Unfortunately, she missed the looks that his siblings exchanged, or maybe she would have considered dropping the topic.

However, the man never got to answer as his sister jumped in. "Oh, he spent that decade moping. He was never really the same after, oh, the mid-186—"

"Enough, Bekah." Elijah cut in, clearly trying to stop her from saying something. He brought out a few books and a map, arranging them on the table. "We have business to get down too." Caroline found it very interesting that he wouldn't look at Katherine in that moment, who was currently very interested in the carpet. She shot Rebekah one of those looks, who nodded imperceptibly as if to confirm Caroline's perceptions.

"Yes, business! I want to know if there's actually a witch within the next fifty miles or so that's going to stop me from falling apart. I've had to give up my high heels because those things _hurt_ when one is rapidly aging, and that does not make me a very happy woman." Katherine crossed to the table and rolled out the map, avoiding Elijah's gaze but at the same time trying to not make it awkward.

The rest of the occupants of the room joined them around the table.

"Here's the thing. Other than the out-of-control baby witch Davina, witches are not allowed to practice magic within New Orleans. But since the covens down here practice something called ancestral magic, they literally do not have any power outside of the city. And did I mention that Davina is under Marcel's control and protection?" Klaus said, bracing his arms on the table as he leaned over.

"So you're telling me that no witch in New Orleans other than Marcel's personal witch can practice magic in the city. Okay." Katherine breathed in. This was something they could work around. "What about someone else?"

"What about that witch you brought to the Masquerade party? The cousin of Bonnie's?" Caroline popped in.

"Lucy was only there because I saved her life once. After that, she wanted nothing to do with me." Katherine replied before turning to the Mikaelsons. "Doesn't your family always have a witch or two on speed dial?"

"We would," Elijah agreed "but unfortunately they all seemed to perish in Mystic Falls. Kol always had a few dozen that owed him favors, but we have no way of knowing who they were."

"So basically, right now the best bet for my life is a power-high witch with no training whatsoever who sort of has a tentative alliance with you." Katherine stared straight into Elijah's eyes, pretty much done with this whole situation. "In that case, where's the nearest funeral parlor? I think I might need to start making arrangements."

Caroline raised her hand. "Um, may I make a suggestion?"

"Have at it, love." Klaus nudged her side gently.

"Okay. Well, Bonnie may not have her magic anymore, but as the anchor between this side and the Other side, she's sort of got like… A foot in both. And she can talk to ghosts. So technically, she could talk to Kol and see what he thinks of this situation and maybe if he knows of a witch that could do the job. And if that doesn't work, then maybe she could coach Davina and help her gain some control. She really misses her magic, and I don't think she would mind. I mean, I would have to ask her first of course, but I don't think she would refuse." She shrugged. To be frank, she knew how much her best friend missed her magic. It was a big part of Bonnie's life, and she had been cut off from it totally. It would be good to show her best friend that she could still be involved with magic, even if she couldn't experience it.

"You're a genius, Caroline. That is a marvelous idea." Klaus smiled. It wasn't so much the saving Katherine part that he was congratulating her for, but for her incredible idea. It was the most likely to work out of all of them.

"Perfect! Then I'll call Bonnie this weekend—she's been really busy with classes and adjusting—to ask if she'll come down! See Katherine, I told you this would work out!" Caroline bounced.

"Let's not get our hopes up." The latter grimaced.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Some time that night, Katherine was headed back to the 'strategic headquarters', as Rebekah had so pompously put it, to look for a book on types of magic that she had seen in there. When meeting her long-lost and now absent vampire daughter, she was reminded of a few things from her childhood that she had wanted to forget. However, she had not expected to find Elijah poring over the maps outstretched on the table, his suit jacket hung on the coat rack by the door, and his tie loosened a bit. It was a scene that she had seen many times while they were hunting for the cure, and it took her back to a happier time. A time where she had actually believed in love once more.

"It's late. I hadn't expected to see you in here." Katherine said as she strutted into the room.

He looked up, and raised an eyebrow. "It is late, Katerina." Elijah agreed. "I am trying to find a place to put Hayley so that my brother does not murder her. What might you be doing?"

Her back was to him by now as she was browsing for the book. "Looking for a book that I saw earlier." Katherine said vaguely. "Your brother won't kill the little wolf, and you know it. You're just doing this to appease Klaus."

"And how do you know that?" He asked, genuinely interested.

"As much as it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, I know how Klaus thinks. If he had ever planned on killing the werewolf girl—and subsequently the baby—he could and would have done it already. He may be a sadistic ass, but even I don't think Klaus is cruel enough to kill his own kid." Narrowing her eyes as she could not seem to find the correct book, Katherine bent over and began browsing the lower shelves. "Hayley seemed all over you this morning." She commented. And it seemed as if her filter had disappeared when she turned human. Stupid mouth.

"Hayley and I are friends, nothing more." Elijah countered as he averted his eyes from her form and went back to marking spots on the map.

"You probably should let her know that." Katherine scoffed. "She was mentally stripping you of that _delectable_ suit in the kitchen this morning. I mean, she's knocked up with your brother's kid. Talk about trashy." Whoops. There goes the verbal filter once more. Stay guarded.

He looked over at Katherine just as she glanced back at him. "Katerina, are you… Jealous?" Elijah could feel a slight smile creeping on his face. To be honest, he would like it if that were the case. Leaving this marvelous woman was the biggest mistake of his life.

Yes. Of course she was bloody jealous. He had spent the entire summer with the werebitch, doing god knows what. "Me? Jealous? Please." Katherine rolled her eyes. "I'm just making sure that you haven't lowered your standards, being down here in New Orleans. I mean, going from me to _her_, well, that's a bit of a backslide." Seeing the book she had been looking for, she grabbed it and stood up.

"Finally found what you were looking for?" Elijah asked, sensing that she did not really want to continue with their previous vein of conversation. "What is it, may I ask?"

"That would be yes to your first question, and a 'see for yourself', for the second." Katherine pulled a chair next to him as he scooted over some papers before grabbing the book. She reclined back as he scanned the table of contents.

"Well, since I assume you do not wish to read about cults around the world… It's the Travellers, you're curious about, correct?" Elijah was confused as to why Katherine would be reading about that pack of magic-practicing gypsies called Travellers, but he waited for her explanation.

"To make a very, very, long story short… My long-lost daughter showed up in Mystic Falls!" Katherine made the sarcastic jazz hands that she had seen Caroline use on more than one occasion before continuing. It would suffice to say that Elijah was shocked. "Anyways, Nadia is obviously a vampire now, but before she turned, she was a Traveller."

"But that would mean…"

"I know. It didn't click until I was browsing through this book earlier. My father was a Traveller—non-practicing, yes—but a Traveller nevertheless. I've known that since childhood. Looking back, I guess I could have practiced in England, but I really wasn't concerned with delving into my family's history back then. And even though I've never had any training or any of that and I really don't even know what I could do with this stupid gene, if it poses a possibility of me surviving, then I might just do it." Katherine sighed, running a hand through her hair.

"It certainly is something to look into, Katerina. If it saves your life, then it is most definitely worth pursuing." Elijah said sincerely. He could not imagine a world without Katerina Petrova in it. He had been so broken, those years that he had believed her to be dead. It was what his worst nightmares consisted of, after Mikael coming and torturing his siblings. She was the woman that made him feel again, even when he was not supposed to feel anything. She had made him fall madly in love, and he could not let this charming woman go. He would not let her go again.

"I'm just…" Katherine started, running her hand over her face, smearing her eyeliner slightly in the process, knowing that she was about to venture into very dangerous territory with this man. "I'm just really _scared_. And it's different than all the years running scared from Klaus. I don't know why, but it's different. Maybe it's because I can feel death creeping up on me." She stood abruptly and began pacing. "I can feel it. I can feel myself degenerating every single day. My eyesight is going. Same with my hearing. My hair? Well, this is dyed, because otherwise there's a shit ton of grey in my hair, and I look terrible. It's harder and harder to get out of bed every morning because I'm in pain. I'm in real _pain _that I can feel deep in my bones for the first time in five hundred and twenty years, and it scares me to death. God, I can't even make death jokes anymore, because they might actually happen." Katherine turned away from Elijah, and tried to breathe in deeply, but it wasn't working and she started to hyper-ventilate, tears creeping at the corners of her eyes. "Oh god. I'm dying. I'm actually going to die. Five hundred and thirty-eight years and it ends like this."

Elijah stood up and swept over to her, Katherine breaking down once she felt his arms around her. The last time they had been in a position like this, he was mourning his brother's death. Now instead, it was her death she was mourning.

She was a woman that prided herself on being strong, independent, and fierce. She had spent the centuries alone, surviving solely on her wits. But Elijah had always had a way of making her come undone. He did not treat her as if she were still the girl he had fallen in love with so many years ago—he was more than aware that she had changed too much for that—but he did treat her as if that girl had not died completely. He was the only one to act as if maybe she wasn't the monster that everyone portrayed her to be. It was one of the reasons that she loved him.

It was only around Elijah Mikaelson that Katherine Pierce thought it okay to cry, and cry she did.

"Katerina, shhh." As he held the sobbing woman confronting her imminent demise to his chest, stroking her hair, Elijah could not help but feel sad. If they did not find a cure for this disease, she would be dead, and soon. That could not happen. "Katerina, it shall be alright."

"You don't bloody know that, 'Lijah." She spluttered out, making him chuckle.

"I do. We will search the ends of the earth until we find a cure for you, and then you will be able to enjoy your life. I promise it."

Katherine took a step back, drying her eyes roughly and breathing deep, calm breaths. "Please don't make promises you can't keep. Not again. I can't handle it one more time." Sadly, Elijah knew what she was referring to.

It was in London, about six months ago.

* * *

_Katherine yawned, padding downstairs. It was very late, but Elijah hadn't come to bed and as much as she needed her beauty sleep, whatever was going on with him was more important. Tying the belt of her robe over her short nightdress, she ran a hand through her messy hair as she walked in the study._

_ "Did I wake you, Katerina? I apologize, if so." Even in her sleepy state, Katherine could appreciate the sight of her partner poring over files, sleeves rolled up and tie loosely hanging around his neck._

_ "You didn't come to bed. I was just checking on you." She crossed to behind his desk, perching on the arm of his very comfy chair, and leaning her head on his shoulder._

_ "There were just a few more things that needed to be organized before you leave in the morning. I would go with you, but,"_

_ "You can't. Your sister can pick up your scent from a mile and a half away. Mine will be covered by my doppelganger being present, but stealth is crucial. It will be easy. I'll get in, grab the cure, and get out. The safehouse in Pennsylvania is sufficiently prepared for my impending arrival, and you can join me there once it is clear."Katherine stated. As much as she would like for him to go with her to get the cure, it was too much. It was a tiny island, and ever since she had gotten the call the day before that the Mystic Falls gang was on the move, the two of them had gone into overdrive mode to beat them there. "Will you…"_

_ Elijah did not need to hear the rest of her sentence to know that she was speaking about Kol, who had not been dead forty-eight hours yet. It was just he, Niklaus, and Rebekah left of their once-large family. It was a shame. "I will be just fine, Katerina. You do not need to worry about me."_

_ "You aren't doing a very good job of convincing me of that fact, you know" Katherine shot back._

_ "Nevertheless, it is the only answer you will get, ergo, you will have to accept it." Elijah enjoyed the feeling of Katherine's body leaning on him, and absentmindedly played with the ends of her hair._

_ "Stupid man." He faintly heard her mutter._

_ "Impulsive woman." He retorted, satisfactorily enjoying her huff of indignation that he got in response._

_ They sat like that for a few moments, simply breathing in the other, reveling in the fact that they were able to spent such unrestrained moments with the one that each had yearned after for over five centuries._

_ In the end, it was Katherine who broke the silence. "Life will be nice, I think, once I am free. We can be happy for the first time in a very long time."_

_ "Being happy. Together. That does sound very nice." Elijah agreed._

_ "You were the first man that I ever loved, did you know that? I think you might be the only one that I ever truly fell in love with, now that I think about it." Katherine said, her voice taking on a tone that worried Elijah._

_ "You know that I love you, Katerina. But what is troubling you? I can tell that there is something." He swiveled in his seat, facing her, stroking her cheek lightly._

_ She closed her eyes for a moment. "I have a bad feeling about tomorrow. I feel as if something is going to happen. Something terrible."_

_ "Whatever happens, it will not affect us. You are mine now, Katerina, for eternity. I promise." Elijah spoke the ill-fated words, thoroughly meaning them._

_ "I'm going to hold you to that." Katherine yawned. "But right now, I'm bloody exhausted, and there's a flight at 7 in the morning waiting on me. And you are required to see me off at the airport, so I suggest that we get to bed." She stood and grabbed his hand. He joined her, and they walked up to their room, going to bed shortly after, dreaming of what the future could hold._

* * *

Both Elijah and Katherine shook themselves out of the pleasant memory they had been experiencing. It was a happier time, then. They were virtually untouched, and their relationship had been allowed to flourish without the critical opinions of everyone they knew. Of course, that meant that once reality hit, they were put to the test, and unfortunately they failed.

Katherine took another step away from her former lover, and ran a hand through her hair, avoiding his eyes. "Look, I've got to get back to bed. I'm tired." She turned away and managed to get to the door before he called out after her.

"We both know that's a lie, Katerina." Elijah could always be counted on to challenge her, that was for certain.

She whirled back around, her robe fanning around her legs, a stern expression on her normally smirking face. "Damn it, Elijah, of course it's a lie! But I can't go there right now. We may be living in the same house, but this isn't London. I want to get back to that amazing state because I am still so in love with you that it hurts, but I cannot. Not while I am dying. I won't do that to you, and I won't do it to me. And even if I do manage to survive this, I'm not even sure if I can go back to what we were." Her expression turned sad. "You broke me. Part of it was my fault as well, I suppose. I am not completely blameless in this situation. And I know that you had to be here for your family. But it doesn't change the fact that you tore my heart to shreds when you walked out that door. That is going to take a lot of getting over." Sighing, she looked up at the ceiling before back at him, a sad smile on her face. "Goodnight, Elijah. And don't stay up too late. Over-working yourself will get you nowhere."

With that, Katherine left the room before Elijah could get another word in.

* * *

**AN: So... Reactions? Ho****w'd you like the Kalijah? And Katherine's admittance of feelings? I was crying while writing her monologue, I must admit. So terribly painful. Ughhh.**

******How did you all think the little flashback was? I wanted to be nice and give you all some fluffy Kalijah because of all the angst, you know?**

******Also, if you cannot tell, Bonnie will officially be making an appearance in this story, and she'll be here for a few chapters at least. But I won't spoil which chapter she arrives in, just yet. That's for me to know, and for you to find out!**

**This was the longest chapter yet, I am proud to say! I'm already a few chapters ahead in writing, so I cannot wait until you get to read more. I know what's happening in the next few chapters... Heeheehee. And it's big, too. Guess you'll have to wait until next Wednesday to find out! **

**Any questions, comments, or criticism may either be left in a review or PM'd directly to me!**

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**

**-Abi**


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